India’s Asian Games preparations have come under criticism after several changes were made to the approved squad, including the exclusion of Commonwealth Games silver medallist Lovepreet Singh from the weightlifting teamAt the same time, an injured Rishikanta Singh has been included despite reportedly not taking part in the national camp.
Lovepreet had won silver in the men’s +110kg category at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, missing the gold medal by just one kilogramHe had also finished fifth at the Asian Championships in Gandhinagar in MayDespite returning from Glasgow and joining the national camp to prepare for the Asian Games, he did not make the final squad.
Rishikanta, meanwhile, is the only male weightlifter in India’s approved Asian Games squadHe suffered an injury during the Commonwealth Games and was advised three months of rest by doctorsAccording to the Amar Ujala report, he did not join the national camp in Modinagar after returning from Glasgow, but was still retained in the Asian Games team.
The report also says Commonwealth Games medallists M Raja and Dilbag Singh were initially part of the squad but were removed after the reviewBoth had also missed the national camp due to injuriesLovepreet, in contrast, continued his preparations at the camp.
The cuts have not been limited to weightliftingIndia’s tennis squad has been reduced from the 12 players selected by the All India Tennis Association to sevenWomen’s No1 Sahaja Yamalapalli, Vaishnavi Adkar, Vaidehi Chaudhari and Prarthana Thombare, along with men’s player Manas Dhamne, have been left outThe decision has drawn criticism, with two-time Asian Games gold medallist Rohan Bopanna questioning the use of rankings if ranked players are not selected.
Judo has also taken a major hitThe federation had proposed seven men and seven women, but only three women have been clearedCommonwealth Games gold medallist Harsh Singh and medallist Unnati Sharma are among those left out.
Rowing has seen further changes, with Asian Cup medallists Diljot Kaur, Suman Devi and Bharti Devi reportedly missing from the final squadIndia’s entire four-member surfing team has also not been cleared, while men’s taekwondo has been dropped.
The Indian Olympic Association had sent a list of 504 athletes for approval, but the Sports Ministry cleared 492The changes have left several athletes and federations unhappy, with the final squads now significantly smaller in a number of sports.
